Is Influencer marketing still worth it in 2026?

The influencer world has grown faster than anyone could have expected. In 2025, 86% of marketers used influencer marketing (Sprout Social). That’s huge.

We’re in the era where when you ask a child, “What do you want to be when you’re older?” “Influencer” is a very predictable answer.

Because of this growth, there are now a lot of influencers all competing for trust and popularity in the same spaces. Those ‘go-to’ names for recipes, travel, fashion, etc., are amongst a sea of thousands. It’s a lot more saturated. Competition is high. And, because we’re so used to seeing people try to sell us things on social media, the big question is…

Is influencer marketing still worth it in 2026?

Yes.

Indeed, it is. In fact, I’d say it’s not a case of whether influencer marketing is still working and worth it; it’s a case of whether you’re doing it properly.

There you go. That was easy. I can send this one off for a copy check, and that’s me on an early one.

Just kidding. It’s only 11am. I’m definitely not getting away with that.

Instead, I’ll tell you how you can make influencer marketing worth it for your brand in 2026:

• Work with influencers that work for your brand and your audience

• Focus on trust rather than solely reach and followers

• Build long-term partnerships rather than doing a random one-off post

• Know what you’re looking for in the results

Finding influencers right for your brand

Rather than seeing the saturated influencer world as a downfall, see it as an opportunity. Find someone who hones in on the niche you’re selling. Who speaks directly with your target audience and has a style that already fits with your brand.

With so many influencers out there, all talking about different aspects of life, there’s a chance to be really specific with who you work with. So instead of asking Joe the travel influencer from Cornwall to talk about your new naturally-flavoured strawberry oat milk because he has 50K followers (😵‍💫), work with Liam from Cornwall, who often posts about new product finds in the shops your oat milk is going to be stocked in, and is already a lover of plant-based foods. Why? Because it’s likely his audience is following him for this very reason, and so will likely be interested in your new product. Turning them from his audience into your consumers. Disclaimer: Cornwall has nothing to do with it. ‘Leicester’ just didn’t have the same ring to it.

There is nothing more jarring than seeing a random product push from an influencer who doesn’t typically talk about that stuff. It’s awkward for them. We’re not falling for it. And you’ve just wasted money doing it.

It’s a big bonus if you can work with an influencer who’s already pretty familiar with your brand and has tried your products before. I.e. already a consumer. Their content has a higher chance of coming across as a lot more authentic because they know the score beforehand and haven’t had to rehearse from a script. Plus, they genuinely believe in your product (enough to have used it before), so this will come across more naturally to their audience, too.

Trust > reach/followers

With the oh-so-rapid emergence of AI, building trust on social media has become even more valuable. While pushy sales ads are scrolled past, genuine reviews and recommendations from trusted people grab attention.

Often, you’ll hear brands say, “I’m not working with an influencer with less than X followers”. But what you can’t do as a brand is see how and when those followers came about, and whether they’re still being influenced by that influencer.

By working with smaller micro- or nano-influencers with a loyal, engaged following that trusts them, it is more valuable to you as a brand.

A quick way to check this: what’s their engagement rate like? Are they interacting with their audience through comment replies? What is their audience saying in the comments?

After this initial check, ask them for their recent performance stats. Not just vanity metrics. What real impact have they had on recent brands? (more on this later)

You aren’t asking this influencer to promote your products/service for the post to be seen once and then lost and forgotten; you’re asking them to sell this to their audience and for their audience to believe in it, remember it and want it. That’ll only happen if their audience trusts them and wants an element of how they’re living.

A long-term partnership vs one off post

More and more brands are working with influencers as extended partners, rather than for a one-off piece of content.

Working with someone who knows your brand and can convey your positioning builds trust with the audience, as it comes across more authentic and ‘part of their’ life, rather than a one-off random promotion that sticks out against their usual content.

Longer contracts/partnerships also help influencers naturally feature your products in their lives more regularly, positioning them as consumers themselves, which their audience will pick up on.

This strategy will help stop such large spikes in content performance and, as data suggests, increase sustained output. According to Gitnux, “long-term influencer partnerships deliver 3x higher ROI than one-off campaigns”, meaning a better result for your brand in the long run.

Post results, what are we looking at?

So often, an influencer campaign ends, and brands ask, “Can you send me the reach and engagement from the post?” These stats will get sent. They might get sent to the boss to show ‘how well the post has done’ and then poof. Gone.

Don’t do that.

What are your objectives as a brand? If it’s link clicks, ask the influencer how many clicks the post had. If it’s for product consideration, what’s the engagement rate and, more specifically, how many people have saved the post? Saves show intention.

And, don’t be afraid to tell the influencer what you’re hoping to achieve before they create the post. As the creator, they might be able to make a recommendation for how you can achieve more saves by something they say/do in the content. They know what works best with their audience. Don’t just spring the ‘can you send me the results… ALL results’ question on to them at the end of the campaign.

If you’re still here, yes. Influencer marketing is still worth it, but when done right.

We know it can be overwhelming trying to navigate this now very busy market, so if you need a hand, feel free to drop us a message. Turns out we’ve got a couple of contacts in the influencer world.